We are flying in/out of Milan, but have a wedding for 3 days in Florence, and would like to visit the coast (have done Venice, Rome, and Como before). We are totally flexible, and are looking for advice on day trip vs. overnights, and where to home base. So far Cinque Terre and the Amalfi Coast area seem to have the most appeal. Again, we have 10 days left to fill and we will be traveling the last two weeks of May. Thanks in advance!
Posted by
Boston, MA
1829 posts
I prefer the Amalfi Coast over Cinque Terre if you are asking that.
Amalfi Coast deserves and needs more time to explore than the Cinque Terre.
In your situation though ;
If you want to see nothing else pairing Florence and Amalfi Coast over a 10 day span does work out well.
4 nights Florence with 6 nights somewhere on the Amalfi Coast (maybe even 2 bases for those 6 nights) would be a nice combo.
Logisitcally it is usually combined with Rome and not Florence but not too big a deal I guess if you skip Rome since you have been. See if you can fly out of Naples instead of Milan and then I like it.
Getting back to Milan is a big pain in your Amalfi plans.
If you cannot change the Milan return flight I think I would go with Cinque Terre.
Cinque Terre is logistically easier to combine with Florence especially with a Milan flight at the end.
I think I would want to add a 3rd location in Tuscany for some days though, as 3-4 nights is as long as you would want to stay at Cinque Terre.
Not sure but if you are considering both Amalfi Coast and Cinque Terre on the same trip and within your timeframe my recommendation would be to not even give that any thought at all.
Posted by
Portland, Oregon, United States
906 posts
I agree with mreynolds but....
You have ten days, head to Sorrento or somewhere on the Amalfi Coast for 4 night or 5. Then head north for the remaining time. Take the Naples - Rome high-speed, change trains in Rome and go where ever you want, perhaps Lucca, Perugia, or all the way up to Parma. I think you have enough time to see some things in both places. I wouldn't go to 5 Terre but you could go there on a day trip from Florence (although it is a long trip with train changes but doable for sure). Spend an extra night in Florence, hit 5 Terre then head south and back north. You loose the a day in travel between Naples and the north.
Posted by
Boston, MA
1829 posts
I didn't realize you have 10 additional nights beyond the 3 or 4 you already are in Florence.
That does give you more time than needed to see even the Amalfi Coast, which I think 6 is a good number and personally may prefer 2 bases for those 6 nights.
So looking for a 3rd place makes sense, might as well pick somewhere else between Amalfi Coast and Milan and stay there a few nights on the end.
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
7299 posts
I'd point out that Milan is worth a couple of days. Have you ordered your Last Supper tickets yet?
As others noted, it would be crazy to both CT and AC on the same trip. How about Tuscany? You don't give your home city in your user profile, but if you live anywhere near a beach (as I do), I would suggest that the Beach Experience in Italy is ... underwhelming. That's not so say that CT and AC don't have beautiful vistas to see. I just think AC is too far from Milan and Florence. You don't say, for example, that Pompeii or Naples are of any importance to you.
When you say "coast", do you mean to include Pisa, Lucca, and the like? Those are different projects than CT or AC. From personal experience, I can assure you that the last week of May is already crowded in Sorrento and the AC. You will likely not get your first or second choice of hotels.
Not to change the subject, I noticed that an exhibition on Villa Oplontis will be seen at the University of Michigan, the University of Montana, and the Smith College Museum of Art.